Fans of the God Eater series won’t be disappointed. Fun, fast-paced fighting – if you put in the effort to master the complexities of the combat system. [Issue#160, p.88]

But while it's easy to create races, playing them is another matter thanks to ruthless power ups that make racing a joyless messy chaos. Overall the experience is a mixed bag of good and evil. If you're creative juices flow freely at the thought of making beardy Gandalf drivers and courses that are Mordor-meets-Nürburgring, then lifespan is only limited by your imagination.

It's hard to find a match online, and offline the game shows its age with a stuttering framerate, long load times, and a drop in texture detail when the screen fills with enemies. [Issue#151, p.94]

Freedom Wars can't match the series it aims to ape, but this is almost as worth checking out for its bizarre, clever conceit as its satisfying, if shallow, combat mechanics. [Christmas 2014, p.87]

This adventure balances its challenge and gameplay variety well against its short length. Ultimately it’s not as layered as indie darling Hollow Knight but it’s a worthwhile play while you wait for Silksong.[Issue#177, p.156]

Great when it’s delivering gripping, cinematic moments. It’s just a shame that the bits when you’re controlling a slightly menacing AI aren’t the highlights. [Issue#164, p.91]

Its biggest problem, though, is the competition that's already available on the store. [Oct 2009, p.123]

Strives for, and achieves, nothing more than competence. [Christmas 2014, p.88]

Despite its simplicity Cross Tag Battle still delivers finely balanced, fast fights. [Issue#151, p.94]

With a multiplayer option – which would alleviate the unpredictability of your companion when playing single player – and plenty of collectibles as well as stacks of puzzles, The Eternity Clock has a lot to offer but there are just too many frustrations to wholly recommend this.

The game’s animation and performance are lacking but its art direction is colourful, and the dialogue has the same infectious energy as it does in the show.2 Only die-hard Adventure Time fans should check this out. [Issue#153, p.89]

As long as you're not expecting anything more complex than the ancient side-scroller that inspired it, Bionic Commando offers plenty of fun. [June 2009, p.100]

While it lasts Lemmings remains as addictive as it is cute. [May 2007, p.114]

Offering many memorable moments and a well-realised if empty world, this remaster is dragged down by some technical flaws . The Definitive Edition? Not quite. [Issue#177, p.147]

By far the biggest problem here is how Sonic himself handles. [July 2012, p.106]

Fun in bursts, especially when you’re able to rope in other people, Earthfall is a good choice if you’re desperate for a co-op shooting fix. The lack of polish, however, swarms over the experience. [Issue#153, p.90]

It's all wonderful stuff, then - until it ends. Which it does surprisingly quickly. [Jan 2017, p.118]

It’s quite a light package designed for shooting straight from the hip and not serious sniper stakeouts. [Issue#160, p.89]

A lovingly remastered, nostalgic treat for fans, with all the cars and guns given extra polish. A robust GTA clone that should please anyone else who doesn’t mind a bit of gleefully juvenile silliness. [Issue#177, p.154]

There are only 15 levels, but it's a neat little idea. [Aug 2010, p.113]

With unimpactful combat, Kakarot isn’t the Dragon Ball action RPG fans have been waiting for but still offers a faithful recreation of the most beloved anime series. [Issue#172, p.81]

The trouble is, this gets old very fast. [Jan 2009, p.104]

Just not very good. [Christmas 2009, p.116]

It's a shame those overly stingy ratings try to zap the fun out of this fair. [Jan 2017, p.128]

There are some genuinely slick moments to be enjoyed. [Feb 2011, p.104]

Even the light cycle sections...are reduced to a forgettable, linear scramble. [Feb 2011, p.104]

A Greatest Hits album that's more like a collection of vintage B-sides. [Sept 2009, p.110]

That’s not to say My Friend Pedro doesn’t have its moments; somersaulting and sniping is novel, and when you clear a room by weaponising the environment it’s incredibly satisfying. Just don’t expect the slickest shooter. [Issue #175, p.80]

What can’t be overlooked, however, is the lack of fan service; there’s no classic art or game history to unlock. Ultimately, Toki is a chimp off the old block. [Issue#165, p.84]

If you can overlook the presentation problems, there’s a clever game of strategy here that just about makes this a war worth enlisting for.

Nail'd isn't poor, but it manages to make predictable what should have been wild, mud-flecked insanity. [Feb 2011, p.112]

If you're willing to rise to the challenge and master its crumby controls, there's just about enough novelty to make it worth your while despite its limited shelf life. [Nov 2015, p.107]

There's a technically solid shooter here somewhere, hidden beneath ugliness and questionable design. [Aug 2009, p.110]

Some good camera work. [Feb 2011, p.113]

As fugly as it is inventive, this is an addictive if unpolished treat. [June 2012, p.115]

Blame rapidly decaying attention spans if you want, but this won't hold your attention for long. [Aug 2007, p.103]

A stripped-back, branching narrative with nice production values that is nowhere near as slick overall as the likes of Erica. You’d better be here for a B-movie. [Issue#175, p.71]

As arcadey as its races often are, there’s enough realism here to ground proceedings in a strangely compelling manner. Example? How about blowing out a tyre2 and the game forcing you to complete the race as you hobble along in eighth place like a six-tonne knackered shopping trolley. Fugly and frantic, this is a unique racer. [Issue#165, p.96]

Despite solid work, it looks and feels a generation behind "Flatout [Head On]", and never matches the sweet thrill of "GTA: LCS's" wild bike rides. [Apr 2008, p.105]

Perhaps when this arrives for Vita it'll feel less like a watered-down potion and play like a charm. [Feb 2012, p.113]

More spider in the bath than friendly neighborhood superhero. [July 2013, p.100]

Fun in parts, but Prime would destroy this for breakfast. [Feb 2012, p.115]

It just isn't very fun. [Mar 2010, p.115]

Combat is gory, but the mechanics are weak. [May 2008, p.104]

The longer you spend in New Bordeaux, the more exasperating you'll find its stylish flourishes. Worthy topics and good kill list missions mask a so-so open world. [Dec 2016, p.67]

If it didn't suffocate you with screens of sub-par writing [a clumsy nod to Fate's visual novel roots] it could almost look the Persona series in the eye. Almost. [July 2012, p.117]

Binge on it and you'll be done before your thinking walnut's sizzling, as there simply aren't enough different mini-games to satisfy in the long-term. [Sept 2007, p.107]

Technically there’s little wrong with the game. It’s visually solid, smooth to play, and the 3D models do a decent job of replicating the style of an 8-bit side-scrolling shooter. Yet it feels anodyne. The magic sauce that made us shove ten-pence pieces into arcade machines is missing. [Issue@#185, p.82]

Despite the token attempts at longevity, the romance won't linger. [May 2016, p.94]

There's sadly no imagination here. [Sept 2007, p.108]

You certainly can’t fault Defiance for lack of content, then. Sadly, what you can fault it for is being an ugly, buggy and monotonous shooter with a tenuous link to a mediocre sci-fi TV drama.

Fine for fans, but no-one else should touch it with a greasy finger. [July 2007, p.114]

Over-complicated. [Christmas 2013, p.94]

A seemingly endless succession of chaotic, murky scraps in which it's a toss-up as to what will do you in first - wrestling the camera, the stabbing of grim-faced opponents off-screen or the growing feeling that this is a game that's missed its sweet-spot of public interest by a good six years. [Feb 2009, p.98]

Level progression will try even the most patient of gamers. [Christmas 2013, p.94]

Freddy’s first outing is a jump scare legend and a fantastic case study of pure, simple design. It’s too bad later outings simply don’t play well on a controller. [Issue#185, p.89]

There's potential here for a devilishly tactical racer, but the reality is dull and unbalanced. [Issue#150, p.90]

A scary adventure that sacrifices as much gameplay as the cult in its story does followers. It also, unfortunately, suffers when compared to Resident Evil VII. [June 2017, p.79]

Those pay walls are simply too vast to ignore. [Oct 2014, p.92]

The whole enterprise smacks of a hopeless brief. [Jan 2008, p.103]

For all its good intentions and moments of skin-crawling tension, the areas it impresses in aren't as important as the ones it doesn't. Ultimately, it leaves you hollow. [Oct 2017, p.83]

It's gently hypnotic stuff, but fight a dozen super-intelligent skeletons and you'll soon be yearning for the simple pleasures of "Lumines." [Mar 2007, p.111]

It seems to have all the right ingredients on the outside looking in. That's before you start trying to unravel its awkward puzzles via its tedious time mechanics. [June 2017, p.86]

An interesting concept, but the game's lack of control over the scares removes any possible creeping horror. [July 2014, p.92]

This courts motion sickness with a bottle of wine and a mixtape. [Aug 2012, p.107]

The trouble is the interface, which is cumbersome like a one-legged elephant. [Sept 2011, p.109]

Feels like an underwhelming adventure trying to piggyback on VR's inherent charms. [Dec 2016, p.89]

PaRappa will always have a place in my heart, but if the original game was Snoop Dogg, this disappointing upscale is Lil' Bow Wow. [June 2017, p.87]

Sadly the world has moved on, and so have our gaming tastes. [Mar 2007, p.120]

An unsatisfying yarn, where returns diminish as rapidly as the stakes escalate. [June 2017, p.87]

It feels like Ape Escape is a curio from times past. [Sept 2011, p.111]

This is big, dumb fun for the first couple of hours. [Sept 2011, p.113]

This is just like every other Dynasty Warriors game ever, but somehow duller. [May 2008, p.115]

Fated is well-meaning but hollow. [June 2017, p.92]

A competent yet ultimately insignificant addition. While the core shooting still delights, the lacklustre campaign is entirely skippable. [Issue#150, p.96]

It’s difficult to recommend… unless you’re a glutton for punishment or Satan himself. [Issue#162, p.82]

A shallow hack and slash that's fun in short bursts but outstays its welcome, even at a scant six hours. A step in the wrong direction for the series. [Feb 2016, p.91]

There's the usual workout option and a confusing career mode, but you'd be better off just going to a decent club. [Mar 2007, p.117]

While this bug-infested horror doesn’t quite inspire us to grab the fly swat, we can’t recommend this in its current state. However, its few bright spots draw us like a moth to a flame. [Issue#182, p.152]

I’m Hungry could’ve been PS VR’s answer to Overcooked. Sadly, all it offers is an empty grind and stomach-churning monotony that does not leave us hungry for more. [Issue@166, p.87]

What you’re left with is a game that delivers a greatlooking futuristic London, and not much of anything else. It suffered a hefty delay, and the series transitioned from Ubisoft Montreal to Ubisoft Toronto. Something has been lost here, and we can’t help but feel that the commitment to making any character playable is the core issue. That’s been made possible, but just because Ubisoft could, that didn’t mean the developer should have. [Issue#182, p.147]

Daft boss battles and duel modes in cramped, pace-sapping spaces mean only real Sega fan boys will stick with this for long. [Feb 2008, p.98]

The already absurdly wooden voice acting is sometimes marred with bugs. [Aug 2013, p.94]

The game could learn from its pint-sized protagonist. [Dec 2015, p.91]

Too little bang for your buck. [Feb 2009, p.103]

It's so weighted down by uninspired foundations. [Aug 2007, p.114]

Ugly and limited. [May 2011, p.103]

Best left on the bargain bin's seabed. [Aug 2012, p.113]

On paper the game has it all; in reality, Necromunda is clunky, plagued by bugs, including hard crashes and desynced audio, and an old-fashioned approach to the genre. [Issue#181, p.94]

Naughty Bear certainly isn't a sweatshop import with lead shot for eyes and asbestos filling, but it's no Steiff original either. [Aug 2010, p.116]

A superb VR idea mercilessly crushed under the jackboot of mediocrity. Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot has neither the standout quality to be good, nor the memorable identity to be bad. [Issue#166, p.82]

You’re never up against more than one opponent, though (if you have an opponent at all), meaning you’ll usually have an empty road ahead of you whether you’re ahead or behind, which can kill the sense of competition. This burning rubber cries out tobe a group activity, if you catch our– ahem – drift. Perhaps online play would transform the experience into a thrill, but we’d need to actually find somebody playing to check. As it stands, it’s stuck in first gear. [Issue#181, p.94]

A PS VR game with all the bells and whistles of a full-fat racer, but at no point did I feel the need to shake or blow on what it has to offer. [Dec 2017, p.87]

Muddy textures, horrendous voice acting and repetitive gameplay plague an otherwise functional hack 'n' slasher. [Issue#51, p.103]

Sure, it's no damp squib, but it's certainly not the firework display it should have been. [May 2011, p.110]

The turn-based combat is swift and (overly) simple. [Aug 2012, p.117]

90% of the game consists of twatting robots all the livelong day, and it takes just half an hour for these parts to grow dull. Perhaps naively, we expected a bit more from the motherland's best selling PS3 game. [JPN Import; June 2007, p.112]

At its best, Raiders offers frantic co-op shooting against waves of enemies. But boring missions and repetitive objectives mean it's ultimately mediocre. [Dec 2017, p.94]